In the past, it has been recognized that mounting and installing solar panels on a roof without rail guides is advantageous. Installing rail guides, under certain conditions, can be problematic. In fact, under some conditions, installation can be quite lengthy and expensive.
Consequently, a rail-less mounting system for solar panels has been developed in response to this need. Rail less mounting systems provide the ability to mount the solar panels in a flexible manner. In fact, the rail less mounting system allows this flexibility and enables the panels to be located virtually anywhere on the roof. This, in turn, allows installers of the solar panels to provide more flexible solutions to solar panel installations. And in certain difficult installation configurations, this will allow the installation of panels where they might not otherwise have been able to be installed.
In response to this need, US patent application publication 2011/0000519 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,756,881 disclose a rail-less mounting system for solar panels. But each of these disclosures has undesired limitations. For example, the element that connects the solar panel to the roof in publication '519 above, as shown in FIGS. 25, 29, 30 and 31, is affixed to the roof and thereby limits and inhibits the installation of the solar panels.
In order to introduce flexibility into the installation process, publication '519 relies upon a two-piece clamping mechanism. As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art of installation of solar panels, the less parts that are needed to install the foundational elements to support the solar panels, and the more flexible the elements are in terms of movement and location, the easier the installation process becomes.
Additionally, certain past and present systems have not properly accounted for the storage or concealment of wire bundles that are prevalent when installing solar panels. A failure to properly conceal the wire bundles can cause the solar panel array to be aesthetically unpleasant.
What is needed is a simplified apparatus and method for installing solar panel modules on a roof without the necessity of having rail guides. For example, allowing the solar panel to be installed on a fully rotatable clamp and mount is advantageous and has not been disclosed by any prior reference. Additionally, eliminating multi-piece structures such as the clamp in publication '519 represents a significant improvement in the art.